Time to meet some more characters in my game. But first, since the last post was the prologue, let's start with a title card:
Vyper 2: The Agency
Two years later . . .
"What a lovely day today." Brenda sniffed the air and smiled as she gazed at the sky. The 25 yr old sighed as she felt the cool breeze on her skin.
"Come on, Miss Brenda!" The 5 yr old boy took her hand.
"Sorry, Danny," she said. "It's just been a while since I've been outside."
Danny smiled. "We can wait then."
She shook her head. "No, your class is here to see the show. Let's go."
They entered the playhouse, which had signs posted for the puppet show. The other kids from the school had already rushed inside with their teachers, but Brenda took her time, probably because her body still felt a little stiff.
The doors then opened behind her. "Stop right there, Rose."
Brenda turned around to see a man there with a pistol drawn. "Danny, run!"
She started to push him away, but seeing the man turn his gun to the child, she pulled him closer, putting herself in front of the man. "What do you want?"
"For you to be silent," the man said, "and I'm about to get it."
I already knew this part of the scene. Time to see the rest.
(Q) Is there more than one man? (Likely) No.
(Q) Does he have the same stats as a Crook? (Likely) No.
(Q) Is he Level 0? (Likely) Yes.
(Q) Is his Agility +1? (Likely) Yes - Random Event
(Event) "Control," "Burden." I'm giving him a +1 Mind then because it means he is better at seeing those who sneak, but I'm dropping his Heart to -2 to balance it.
Also from here on, if I don't list a stat, either it's not going to be used (like Talk for a bear) or it's a 0.
I'm going to perform this Clash from the Thug's (We'll go with that term) point of view. He's opening fire on Brenda, who will perform an effect turning away and bracing herself).
(Clash) Does the Thug win the Clash? (+1 vs. +3 = -2 or Very Unlikely) No.
The thug opened fire with his pistol and Brenda held the boy close. She heard the light thunking sounds of the bullets but felt nothing. Looking down, she saw neither she nor the boy had a single scratch on them.
Glancing back, she saw the thug staring at her in surprise. With a snarl, he pointed his pistol right at her head and fired.
(Clash) Does the Thug win the Clash? (+1 vs. +4 = -3 or Nearly Impossible) No.
Brenda flinched but again the bullet fell to the ground before her.
The thug shook his head. "What kind of freak are you?"
"Freak?" She sent the boy running through the double doors. "You tried to shoot at a child!"
"I won't miss this time." Stepping forward, he put the barrel of the gun right against her forehead.
(Clash) Does the Thug win the Clash? (-2 this time means Very Unlikely) X-No.
He pulled the trigger, but something sent him flying back. The gun fell from his hand and the back of his head bounced off the tile floor. He groaned as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Heart racing, Brenda rushed outside. Running into a nearby alley, she collapsed against the brick wall, chest heaving as she fought away a panic attack.
A moment later, several vans pulled up. She then heard a man's voice. "Check inside."
A few moments later she heard the building's door open again. "One down, stunned but alive. The rest are scared but fine."
"Send Miss Cove to talk with them," said the first man. There was a pause before she heard footsteps approaching.
Hiding behind a trash bin, she lowered herself to her knees and wait.
"Miss Rose?" The first man's voice spoke.
The footsteps continued until she looked up. The man, middle-aged, wearing a button down shirt and business pants and shoes stood before her. He wore a baseball cap with the word 'Agency' on it.
"Brenda Rose?"
"I didn't mean to hurt him," Brenda said. "He was going to shoot me and the boy."
The man smiled. "I know. My name is Ted Stanse, and I'm here to help you." He held out a hand.
She noticed his hat. "What's the Agency?"
He lifted her to her feet. "Come with me, Bubble Girl, and I'll show you."
So who is Brenda Rose and what's with her high stats? Well Brenda Rose had suffered from one illness after another growing up. Her parents kept her inside so much, the other kids called her Bubble Girl. As an adult, she got a job as a substitute teacher but collapsed her first day and was hospitalized. The hospital gave her an experimental treatment, which healed her but caused her to go into a coma for several weeks.
Upon emerging, Brenda learned she could shrug off not only illnesses but injuries as well. It's as if she's surrounded by an invisible bubble that wards off danger.
Here are her stats:
Brenda Rose (Bubble Girl)
Level 1 Hero.
Body: -1.
+5 Toughness, +4 Shield against Powers.
This is why the bullets did nothing to her. The first time, she took a -1 penalty to also shield little Danny. The second time, she took the full +4 resistance to the gunshot. And the third time, she took a penalty (unconsciously) and along with the Exceptional result, sent the impact of the bullet back at the thug. Unfortunately, this leaves her with little to no offense. She has no powers to attack, she hates guns, and she can't throw a punch to save her life. For now, 'Bubble Girl' is strictly a defensive character. For now.
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And now for Scene 2:
Do you remember, way back, when Zapman lost his first fight to a police officer? Well here's what happened next.
Inside the police station, the officer dropped the paperwork on his partner's desk. "Here's what I could find on this Zapman guy, Reg."
Reg, a man in his 50s, glanced at it. "What's the deal, Carl? This thing's pretty much blank."
Carl shrugged. "Exactly. He gave us no alias. His fingerprints are burned off. Even his clothes look like he got them from a thrift store."
"Fine." Reg picked up his phone. "I'll check the nearby departments."
"I already tried that," Carl replied. "Nobody's heard of him. My guess is he's some crook that got a new toy."
Putting the phone back, Reg picked up the metal device, long and slender, with straps for hand and wrist. "So what do you think? Laser?"
"Considering how he used it against me," Carl answered, "I'd say electroshock, like a wireless taser."
Getting up. Reg walked over to the cell, where the man in his thirties, wearing dark gray pants and a black t-shirt." "Not so tough without your toy now, are you?" He grinned.
The other man looked up with him and narrowed his eyes but then resumed studying the bars to the cell.
With a chuckle, Reg returned to his work.
(Q) Can Zapman use his powers without his device? (Unlikely) Yes.
I'll admit I wasn't expecting that, but if his powers were inside him all along ( Awww!), I can work with that.
Zapman stared through the bars at the device again sitting on the cop's desk. His eyes then fell to his fingers, but when he snapped them, he saw a spark. Did it really work? The device was supposed to give him powers, but he didn't think it'd actually 'give' him the powers. He then looked at the cell's lock and pointed his fingers.
He's going to try and use his powers to open the lock. Not sure how this would work so I'm making it a Fate question.
(Q) Is the Difficulty of picking the lock with Zapman's powers a +2? (Likely) Yes.
Okay so it is a +2. Now here are Zapman's stats:
Zapman: Level 1 Villain.
Body: +1, Heart: +1.
Powers: Electroshock.
Skills: (Shock): +2 Damage, +1 Effect.
(Ability) Does Zapman pick the lock with his powers? (50/50) X-No, Random Event.
(Event) "Benefit," "Burden."
(Q) Does he accidentally hit the device? (50/50) Yes.
(Q) Does anyone see him hit it? (Likely) No.
I interpreted the word 'burden' to be his device since it's big and somewhat bulky. The benefit I'm going to say is it works in his favor, despite his horrible failure.
Pointing his fingers at the lock, Zapman fired a bolt at it. However he missed the lock completely. The bolt instead flew across the room and struck his device. and amazing coincidence, but maybe it was attracted to it. The device began glowing and humming.
The officers in the room noticed and ran over to the device.
(Q) Do any of the officers touch the device? (Very Unlikely, I mean who'd be that stupid?) No.
"Don't touch it," Carl ordered.
Reg turned to Zapman. "What's it doing?"
Zapman merely shrugged. "I'm in here. What'd you do to it?"
(Q) Will the device explode if Zapman shoots it again? (50/50 because I don't know.) Yes.
(Q) Will the damage be lethal? (Likely, I mean, I did write explosion.') No.
(Q) Will it knock anyone out? (Likely) Yes.
(Q) Are there more than 3 officers standing close by? (50/50) No.
Carl, Reg, and a third officer stared at the device as it continued to hum and glow. No one paid attention to Zapman. Taking aim, he tried to fire another shot at the device.
I'm making the Difficulty +1 because last time, it seemed to attract the bolt. This is versus Zapman's +2 (+1 Heart and + for Effect).
(Ability) Does Zapman hit the device? (+1 means Likely) Yes.
Zapman fired a bolt into the device.
Carl noticed and turned. "What the?"
Before anyone could react, the device exploded, sending electricity in all directions.
(Q) Is the blast's Damage +2 (Very Likely) No (so +1.)
The cop's have +1 Agility to avoid the explosion but -1 Heart to withstand the blast, so I'm balancing it all to 0 and making it a Clash. If the cops succeed. they avoid getting knocked out. I'm also rolling once for each cop. Normally, I'd do a combined roll, but I'm looking at it as characters avoiding a trap.
(Clash) Did the explosion knock out the cops? (+1 means Likely) Yes, Yes, Yes.
All three men fell back, crashing against desks or the wall. On the ground, they crumpled, groaning or making little sound at all.
(Q) Is there anyone else in the room? (Likely) Yes.
(Q) More than 2? (Likely) Yes, Random Event.
(Event) "Danger," "Change."
(Q) Are they all cops? (50/50) No.
(Q) Are any of them crooks? (50/50) Yes.
Two police officers had been escorting a crook into the room when the explosion occurred. running over to their friends, they left the crook in the doorway and ignored the man in the cell.
With them distracted, Zapman decided to try the lock again.
(Ability) Does Zapman pick the lock? (50/50) Yes.
He fired tiny needles of static into the lock, and it clicked. Standing, he opened the door and stepped out.
The officers noticed and looked up as Zapman pointed his fingers. "You'll all know the pain of the zappy zappy! Ha ha!"
Zapman's attack stat is +3 versus the two cops. The cops both have +1 Agility, so I'll bump it for a total of +2.
(Clash) Does Zapman win the Clash? (+1 means Likely) Yes.
Since the +3 is greater than the cops' Toughness (0) by 3, they suffer -2 RS.
Zapman fired electric bolts which struck both cops in the chest. The stumbled with their eyes wide.
This time it's Zapman's +3 versus 0 for the cops, since they suffer a -2.
(Clash) Does Zapman win the Clash? (+3 means Nearly Certain) Yes, Random Event.
(Event) "NPC," "Start."
That sounds like a new NPC so I'll run with it.
A clerk ran into the room to investigate. Seeing the five injured officers, she screamed and ran.
The officers are now at -4 RS, which means checking to see if they're unconscious.
(Incapacity) Are the officers Incapacitated? (+7 means Certain) Yes, Yes.
Walking past the unconscious police officers, Zapman approached the crook who stood in place.
(Q) Is the crook male? (50/50) X-No.
(Q) Does Zapman know her? (50/50) No.
(Q) Is she friendly? (Likely) Yes.
"How'd you do that?" the woman asked.
"Let's just say I made some new friends recently," he answered.
Her face lit up. "Can you introduce me?"
Grabbing a notepad and pen, he scribbled an address. Gesturing to the bodies on the ground, he lowered his voice. "In case they're not quite out."
"Why don't you just finish them off?" she asked.
He handed her the notepad. "Because killing cops means shoot to kill."
(Q) Does the room have an emergency exit? (Very Likely) No, Random Event.
(Event) "Leave," "Distant."
Zapman glanced around. "Why don't these rooms have emergency exits?"
She blinked. "You didn't notice we're on the second floor?"
Let's get some stats for the woman.
(Q) Is her Body +1? (50/50) Yes.
(Q) Is her Agility +1? (50/50) Yes.
Picking up an officer's pistol she fired it at one of the windows, shattering it. "Come on!" She climbed out the window, beckoning Zapman to follow.
I'm making the Difficulty +1 because they're only one floor up.
(Ability) Does Zapman make the jump? (Unlikely) Yes.
(Ability) Does the woman make the jump? (50/50) Yes.
The woman slid down the overhang and dropped to the ground. Zapman leaped out. Aiming for the bushes, he landed with a crash.
Seeing an alley, he pointed. "Go!"
She took off down the alley and Zapman reached his feet and looked around.
(Q) Did anyone notice them? (Very Likely) No, Random Event.
(Event) "Distant," "Mundane."
Ooh, I know this one!
VIDEO
GAME
REFERENCE!
The woman had already disappeared down the alley and around one of the corners. Surprisingly, no one noticed the two of them shooting their way out and leaping from the second floor of a police station and running off. Maybe the sounds of traffic distracted them. Either way, Zapman started down the alley to make his own escape.
"I lost my balloon!"
The voice cut straight through the noises and right into Zapman's skull. turning back, he saw a small boy staring up at his bright red balloon as it floated up away from him.
Definitely not my problem, Zapman thought as he turned away.
"My balloon!"
Zapman kept walking away but the voice stayed with him as the child continued crying out.
"Some get my balloon! My balloon's flying away! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! My balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back, balloon!"
Rolling his eyes, Zapman turned back and glanced up at the balloon. Lifting his hand, he pointed his fingers at it.
I'll make the Difficulty +2 since it's a small object flying away.
(Ability) Does Zapman shoot the balloon? (+1 mean likely) Yes, Random Event.
(Event) "Benefit," "Decrease."
Sparks leaped from Zapman's fingers. Climbing into the air, they struck right through the balloon. The child began sobbing as what's left of his companion fell to the side walk. Zapman chuckled, but then he saw the child's parents rushing to his side. Then they noticed him. Not wanting to start a brawl right in front of a police station, Zapman spun on his heels and took off down the alley.
Zapman gains 2 Villain Tokens for his adventure.
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